2010s2015 PERSON OF THE YEAR ▷
Angela Merkel
Chancellor of the free world
For her first 10 years as Germany’s Chancellor, Angela
Merkel proceeded with the cautious deliberation
of the young scientist she had been in communist
East Germany. That temperament, combined with
Germany’s economic might, made Merkel the most
consequential leader in a European Union that shared
her devotion to human rights, free markets and open
borders.
Then, in the summer of 2015, as desperate
Syrian refugees poured into Europe, Merkel made
an uncharacteristically quick decision. Letting into
Germany some 1 million refugees was an audacious act
of generosity that lifted hearts, confounded ISIS and
made Merkel the TIME Person of the Year. But it also
triggered an anti-immigrant backlash that nourished
right-wing nativism.
Five years on, the refugees that Mutti (“Mommy”)
welcomed are still being absorbed into Germany. But
reaction to the influx fractured her party and cost her
the leadership both of her country—she has vowed to
step down by 2021—and of a European project now less
open, less united and less certain of itself. —Karl Vick
◁ 2016
Hillary Rodham Clinton
A historic run
In an era of feminist activism, it’s easy to forget that it was
once unthinkable that a woman could be President. Hillary
Rodham Clinton changed that when, in 2016, she came within
a hair’s breadth of winning the White House. She also broke
barriers along the way. As First Lady in the ’90s, she took a
more hands-on role in policymaking than her predecessors
did, including overseeing the failed effort to pass comprehen-
sive health care reform. It was also during this time that she
famously declared that “human rights are women’s rights,
and women’s rights are human rights.” Clinton was the first
First Lady to seek elected office, and the first female Senator
of New York. As Secretary of State under President Barack
Obama, she spread what became known as the “Hillary
Doctrine,” which linked the empowerment of women and
girls to national security. And though she lost the presidency
to Donald Trump, she won the popular vote by nearly 3 mil-
lion. Over the course of her political career, Clinton has been
both beloved and reviled. Critics can certainly point to mis-
takes of her own making, but she has also faced what she calls
a “pernicious double standard.” Clinton has come to symbol-
ize both the great strides forward for women in politics and
the stiff headwinds they still confront. ÑCharlotte AlterMERKEL: STEFAN BONESS—PANOS PICTURES; CLINTON: JOE PUGLIESE—AUGUST^93